But when all of the above plays out on live TV, you're looking at viral video magic, and that's just what happened to Brad and Dallas Woodhouse.

Brad, the older of the two, is a passionate Democrat - in fact, he was once the party's communications director - while little brother Dallas is an equally dedicated Republican.

As you can imagine, the combination makes for interesting conversation around the family dinner table - but their mother, Joyce, is clearly done with hosting a miniature parliament during every holiday.

The sparring pair were appearing on C-SPAN to discuss a documentary they have made together. However, when they started taking calls from viewers, their opposing stances on pretty much everything quickly put them at loggerheads - and one caller decided she had had enough.

As the show's host introduced 'Joyce from North Carolina', Dallas seemed pleased to hear from 'somebody from down South'. But his face quickly fell when the caller shot back: "You're right I'm from down South - and I'm your mother!"

"Oh God, it's Mom!" he groans, while Joyce proceeds to berate the two for their incessant bickering, admitting that their heated dinner table debates meant she was glad the pair spent Thanksgiving with their in-laws this year.

"I'm hoping you'll have some of this out of your system when you come here for Christmas," she warned the boys.

Back in 2009, when the duo first started appearing on TV opposite one another, Joyce was already voicing her concern, telling the New York Times: "I'm always nervous, and I tell them to be nice to each other. And they're not always nice."

Joyce describes herself as a Democrat, but, judging by her exasperated call to her warring sons, she'll settle for a bipartisan Christmas.